Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School Head of School search in Joplin, MO for The Education Group (2024)

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What did Thomas Jefferson do for the education system? ›

Thomas Jefferson believed only educated citizens could make the American experiment in self-government succeed. He proposed a system of broad, free, public education that was radical in his day and his founding of the University of Virginia partially achieved his larger goals.

The Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) philosophy of education emphasizes mentoring and teaching children how rather than what to think or learn. The goal is for students to develop a love of learning in an atmosphere that fosters their natural ability to reason, question, explore, and experiment.

At age nine, Jefferson began his formal studies, boarding with a minister-teacher nine months out of the year. He continued boarding school until age sixteen, excelling in classical languages.

In 1819, Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia and inaugurated a bold experiment – a public university designed to advance human knowledge, educate leaders and cultivate an informed citizenry. More than two centuries later, this vision is thriving.

As the “silent member” of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence. In years following he labored to make its words a reality in Virginia. Most notably, he wrote a bill establishing religious freedom, enacted in 1786. Jefferson succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France in 1785.

Thomas Jefferson received a number of honorary degrees and memberships over his lifetime. These include: Honorary law degree from College of William and Mary (1783) Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Yale College (1786)

A close study of his life would reveal such remarkable accomplishments as lawyer, architect, naturalist, paleontologist, inventor, agronomist and linguist.

Jefferson School is a STEAM school, a school that puts a focus on inquiry, data, and problem-solving through the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.

Thomas Jefferson Senior High School, a public school located in Los Angeles, CA, serves grade(s) 9-12 in Los Angeles Unified School District. It has received a GreatSchools Summary Rating of 2 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

A California school district will rename two elementary schools named after U.S. presidents because their namesakes owned slaves, the school board said. Jefferson and Washington elementary schools will be renamed as the Berkeley Unified School District board embraces the Black Lives Matter movement.

What age did Thomas Jefferson go to school? ›

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 23, 1743 in Virginia. At age 5, he was put in an English school by his father. When Thomas Jefferson turned 16, he went to college.

Martha Skelton Jefferson (née Wayles; October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781. She died in 1782, 19 years before he became president.

Of the Jeffersons' six children—five daughters and one son—two died in infancy and only two daughters, Martha and Mary (called Patsy and Polly by the family), survived to adulthood. Their last child, Lucy Elizabeth, died of whooping cough in October 1784.

More than 300 elementary, middle and high schools across the United States bear Jefferson's name, most located in communities of color.

Jefferson saw the structure of education in four levels: elementary schools, grammar schools, universities, and life-long learning. He proposed dividing the states into small districts or wards.

As chair of the committee, Jefferson proposed a three level system in 1779, (never adopted): three years of primary education for all girls and boys; advanced studies for a select number of boys; a state scholarship to the College of William and Mary for one boy from each district every two years.

After receiving an education at the College of William & Mary, Jefferson studied law in Williamsburg. By 1769, he was serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses and three years later married Martha Wayles Skelton.

The first American schools in the Thirteen Colonies opened in the 17th century. The first public schools in America were established by the Puritans in New England during the 17th century. Boston Latin School was founded in 1635. Boston Latin School was not funded by tax dollars in its early days, however.